Happy Holidays Everyone!

[The Lone Ranger]

Enjoy the Solstice Celebrations!


I'll be on the other side of the state for the next several days myself -- I'm looking forward to seeing the Cascades in Winter!

(I promise to post a more substantial review of The Last Samurai for livius in the not-too-distant future!)


Cheers,

Michael

[viscousmemories]

Happy holidays, Michael. Enjoy your vacation. :)

[Dingfod]

There's a holiday?

Hmmm, perhaps having to work 60+ hours a week during the past couple of weeks and on through this weekend has something to do with my not perceiving this as a holiday season.

[livius drusus]

Have a great time, Michael. :snowboard:

(I promise to post a more substantial review of The Last Samurai for livius in the not-too-distant future!)

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[godfry n. glad]

I'll be on the other side of the state for the next several days myself --

Michael

Damp it! Keep your feet dry and you'll stay warmer.

godfry

[Ab_Normal]

Drive carefully and have a good time!

[The Lone Ranger]

Hope everyone had a good holiday season!


I guess I've gotta get around to watching The Last Samurai again in the next few days, eh?

Cheers,

Michael

[viscousmemories]

Welcome back, Michael. :)

[livius drusus]

Yay! Michael's back. How were the Cascades? For that matter, what are the Cascades? :giggle:

I guess I've gotta get around to watching The Last Samurai again in the next few days, eh?

Why yes, yes you do. :popcorn2:

[The Lone Ranger]

How were the Cascades? For that matter, what are the Cascades? :giggle:

Oops, I should have clarified, perhaps? The Cascade Mountains -- and they were indeed beautiful! We spent some time near Mount Rainier (http://www.seanspot.com/photos/oregon-trip/MtRainier-big.jpg) and went up to Mount St. Helens (http://platetectonics.pwnet.org/img/Mount_St_Helens.jpg) too. Well, as close as they'd let us get, anyway. There was a bit of steam coming out of the crater, but otherwise it seemed perfectly placid. Seeing the still-obvious scars from how the landscape had been utterly devastated literally miles away from the mountain was quite a sobering experience, I can tell you! (At one point, we were standing on a ridge, looking at the mountain in the distance. It occurred to me that if it had decided to go "Boom!" at that moment, the shock wave would have reached us in only about 20 seconds -- there wouldn't have been any point to running.)

Cheers,

Michael

[godfry n. glad]

The Cascades are chain of mountains that runs north-south through Washington, Oregon and northern California. I think of the Sierras in California of being a continuation. There are a large number of dormant volcanos of considerable height - 10,000 to 16,000 ft. They are snow-peaked in the winter and the bigger ones can maintain year-round skiing, if you're not picky about the quality of the snow.

They're rugged (and BIG) mountains, compared to the Appalachians, but modest compared to the northern Rockies and Grand Tetons.

From where I live, I can see Mt. St. Helens to the north (so I'm seeing it's snowy south side), Mt. Hood directly to the east and on clear days from a high spot, I can see Mt. Adams to the northeast, and Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters to the southeast.

East of the Cascades is semi-arid high plateau. Good farming if you escape the scab rock and have water to pump in. It's irrigation farming, livestock and pine lumber. West of the Cascades is temperate rain forest; mostly Douglas fir with Spruce and Western Red Cedar intermixed. Grass, nursery, truck farming shares the valley floors with human settlements. Timber and tree farming was king everywhere else. Most of the population in the Pacific Northwest is located in the wet third, west of the Cascades.

The Columbia River Gorge bisects the Cascade Mountains, draining clear up to the continental divide in Canada, and separating the state of Washington from the state of Oregon over much of their common boundary. My father used to describe the Columbia River near Cascade Locks as being "where the river turned on it's side to squeeze through the collanaded basalt columns" at a place called "Bridge of the Gods" that reputedly once had a natural basalt bridge. It now is all part of Lake Bonneville, behind Bonneville Dam.

The Cascades are a critical part of the Pacific Northwest self-perception. Natives are wet-siders and/or dry-siders. Dry-side is mostly small town and very conservative. Boise, Idaho, is the epidome of dry-siders with urban pretensions. I am one of the teaming urban mob in a major metropolitan area (#33 in the US), but to a certain extent, I'm a hick outta place, here in big shitty wet-side.

One of my favorite towns in the Pacific Northwest is Moscow, Idaho, the most liberal Idaho city, thanks to the University of Idaho being the mainstay of the town economy. And it's only 8 miles from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Downtown Moscow is really fun and comfortable...like what it really needs is an Amsterdam coffee shop.

You're in Pullman, aren't you Lone?

godfry

[The Lone Ranger]

One of my favorite towns in the Pacific Northwest is Moscow, Idaho, the most liberal Idaho city, thanks to the University of Idaho being the mainstay of the town economy. And it's only 8 miles from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Downtown Moscow is really fun and comfortable...like what it really needs is an Amsterdam coffee shop.

You're in Pullman, aren't you Lone?


Yep, I'm in Pullman -- home of Washington State U. and wheatfields and . . . well, not much else, actually. I do love Moscow; it's such a breath of fresh air!

Cheers,

Michael

[livius drusus]

Wow. Thank you godfry for such a marvelous exposition of the role of the Cascades in geology, geography and culture. They sound beautiful and I imagine they're very much up your alley, Michael.

[Ymir's blood]

They're rugged (and BIG) mountains, compared to the Appalachians...
You won't be so big and rugged either, when you get to be their age. :wink:

[godfry n. glad]

They're rugged (and BIG) mountains, compared to the Appalachians...
You won't be so big and rugged either, when you get to be their age. :wink:

Yeah, I know...older and wiser, too.

They aren't subject to temper tantrums.

godfry

[godfry n. glad]

Wow. Thank you godfry for such a marvelous exposition of the role of the Cascades in geology, geography and culture. They sound beautiful and I imagine they're very much up your alley, Michael.

They're really quite beautiful mountains, all of them. Picturesque. Michael's pix are quite good examples. (Although Mt. St. Helens used to be an American Fujisan.)

Just google "cascade mountains" and you'll find sites with virtual tours and nice photos of each of the major peaks. They're a climber's dream. An entire set of mountains to be climbed.

godfry